The Board has granted service connection for chronic cough and assigned a 20 percent rating for the back disability. Other disabilities have been rated based on their specific criteria.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed objective indications of an undiagnosed illness with chronic cough, as well as limitation of motion in multiple joints without more severe impairment warranting higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic cough, back degenerative joint disease (back disability), left shoulder strain and degenerative arthritis of the acromioclavicular joint (left shoulder disability), left knee osteoarthritis, right knee osteoarthritis, left lower extremity radiculopathy associated with lumbar spine disease, residuals of left wrist fracture, left ankle synovitis, right ankle enthesophyte and osteophyte with plantar spur, onychomycosis of the left great toenail, chronic recurring epididymitis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- February 23, 2016
- Citation
- 1606737
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1606737.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim for major depression to encompass any mental health disability raised by the record and has remanded six issues for additional development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for PTSD and a chronic cough are being remanded due to an error in providing notice of the right to a hearing before the RO.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several claims for further action, including effective date determinations and service connection determinations. The Veteran's service records from Portsmouth Naval Hospital are requested to be obtained.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic cough disability was granted with an effective date of January 1, 2002. This decision is based on the addition of relevant service department records that were not considered in prior decisions.
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